June 24, 2007
I’ve got a challenge for you, my sartorially gifted readers. I’d love some advice on how to build work appropriate outfits with this blazer. I know the pictures aren’t the best, but a basic description of the blazer is: Full notched collar. Single button front. Havana plaid. Half sleeves with three button cuffs. Front flap pockets. Contoured fit.
Bearing in mind that I’ve only got black pinstriped, regular black or gray trousers, knee-length black or white skirts, and I’d really rather not buy more clothes just because of this blazer, what sort of outfits would you suggest? Other than with a tank top and blue jeans, I’ve got that one down. š
I must be on an out-for-the -summer circadian rhythm. I’m irresistably sleepy at 5pm, wake up in time for dinner and then stay up the rest of the night reading into the wee hours. I’ve really got to stop this! If for no other reason, so that I don’t sleep between 4am and 11am, losing the entire morning.
Despite the late start, I did manage to get myself to the mall to replace my parents’ cell phones with T-Mobile (remind me to tell you about that encounter and also hit about 7 different stores to try to find replacement shorts for my two pairs of khaki shorts, circa 2000. This is part of my ongoing quest to deFrumpify my wardrobe, an item or two at a time.
All in all, I did ok, though I spent a bit too much. Didn’t finish half of my errands, but I DID accomplish a few important things:
T-mobile, 2 Samsung T-219 phones for: $0. No tax, no shipping (savings of $20, had I ordered them over the phone) and no hassle.
Express, New York and Co., Forever 21, Ann Taylor Loft, Aeropostale and American Eagle were all having some sort of sale, alas, nothing fit.
Macy’s: $61.61 for (all on sale) two pairs of shorts, and a 3/4 sleeve Guess blazer whose niche in my closet I’ve not quite determined yet. The blazer was $35 on sale, making the shorts a great deal ($11 and $13, respectively) but the blazer? Not so much.
Trader Joe’s: $10, their milk and eggs are consistently priced lower than any other store, and that’s their regular price. Their bread, however, leaves much to be desired. At nearly $3 for a 2-pound loaf, I expect the bread not to fall apart when I make a sandwich!
I didn’t get to:
Recycling.
Walgreens to check out their FAR items.
Target: I need some heel inserts for my new work shoes.
Perhaps next weekend!
June 23, 2007
My friends and I spent a rather pleasant afternoon by the pool today. We tried to avoid prime sunburn hours, especially for the ultra-whities among us, by having lunch first and then sitting mostly clothed with our legs in the unheated spa. Despite the liberal use of sunblock at least 30 minutes before I went outside, I still managed to get a little burned.
I used this ridiculously expensive bottle of Aloe Up bought from the hotel gift shop during our business retreat back in … er, February? I had neglected to bring any sunscreen outside of my usual facial moisturizer sunscreen, and we were scheduled for a hike in the Tucson desert, so I let the office buy me a nice 7 ounce bottle of this “Enriched Aloe Spa Formula” which is touted as an “Aloe based Ultra High Sunscreen, SPF 30.” It’s what they call a dry lotion formula that’s sweat resistant, hypoallergenic, non-comodogenic, and biodegradable. I’m not sure why exactly it had to be biodegradable, but there you go. Anyhow, the back of the bottle says it’s sweat resistant, very water resistant (MUCH better than the merely water resistant) and “Formulated for athletes who spend hoursi n the sun, water, wind or snow. With antioxidants.” I looked hard for the “Cures cancer, gout and other miscellaneous ills” but didn’t find it. Yep, it sounded like a bunch of hooey when all I was looking for was effective sun protection.
So, despite the non-greasiness, the moderate lack of that weird sunscreen smell, and the SPF 30, I still got Roasty-Toasty! *sigh* Actually, it’s weird because I’ve only gotten sunburned a couple times before this. Either my skin’s gotten more sensitive as I get older, or it’s time for new sunscreen! Still, the expiration date is 02-22-09, it seems a little soon to require replacing, doesn’t it?
June 21, 2007
Perhaps it’s the parents-are-away syndrome. And it’s the first day of summer!!
I paid my parents’ tax bill eons ago, ages ago, and now the IRS is demanding their money. Again. Uh, NO. I really don’t think so. But that means I have to search through my checking accounts for an copy of the check and, most times, I can’t usually recall which checking account was most convenient account to use at the time.
Thank goodness for online check images!! At least I don’t have to fuss until I get home and then risk major papercuts wading through my returned checks. Still, times like these make me wonder if I shouldn’t just use ONE checking account to make my bill paying/referencing life simpler.
June 13, 2007
Huh, I just found myself on the list of The 100 Most Inspirational Personal Finance Turnaround Stories Online over at Credit Card Lowdown. Admittedly filed under the Money Mistakes section, but hey, who am I to gripe? After all, I’m in pretty good company with Mapgirl, Clever Dude, Rich Minx, and LAMoneyGuy.
I do think it’s sort of odd that SingleMa was categorized under “Debt” because I felt like she fell under Saving, Building Wealth (oh yeah, she’s definitely doing that!) and Real Estate. But given just one choice, I guess her strategizing to pay off Debts has been one of the more powerful themes. Especially since she just paid off her car loan š
June 11, 2007
Lately I’ve been caught up in this daydream. Pa and MaDucky are doing well on their own, and they’re financially stable. I’ve got my Masters degree and am happily working in an actual 9-5 job instead of my current 6-8, with lovely coworkers and a reasonable, sane boss. BoyDucky and I have finally gotten married and our cozy little home, where we hang out after work cooking dinner, drinking wine, and spend our weekends doing fun little couple-y things that we just can’t do as a LD couple. Maybe take some early morning walks holding hands, work on our house together, play with our dogs. Ahhh …. this weekend was such a rude awakening.
He came back this weekend for a Saturday night dinner I’d scheduled with my friends because the six of us haven’t spent time together for over a year. That was the official plan. Dinner, in the desert, my friends, Saturday night. Simple, easy, relaxed. Boy oh boy, did reality bite me in the you-know-where!!
Immediately after work on Friday, we went straight to our friends’ surprise birthday celebre. Foolishly, I’d assumed that it was a nice sit down restaurant sort of deal, so I was all dressed up for a sports bar. For three hours. I’ve got nothing against sports bars, but they’re really not my thing after a long day at work. By ten o’clock, BoyDucky and I left because he had practice the next morning and he’d only gotten three hours of sleep the night before.
Way too early Saturday, he worked with his team and I entertained myself for 3.5 hours. Then we had lunch “together,” aka: with the other coaches while they all talked about the rosters for the races next week. And talked. And talked. And talked. Two hours later, we went home for a shower and change of clothes. Far too short a time later, we were back on the road to my friend’s son’s graduation/birthday party for an hour so that he could meet my train friends, and then raced to the next friend’s house to carpool to our last stop for the night in the desert. We got home at 11:30 pm that night.
BoyDucky knocked on my door pre-dawn Sunday morning, and we were back out the door by 720 to carpool for another practice, and did the same reading-MsM, busy BoyDucky routine. I really could have slept in (booooy could I have slept in) except I was being the dutiful, patient girlfriend so that we could have lunch together. Oh but not together, “together.” We left that team lunch at 2pm, and got home for another round of showers, only to be greeted with “Get dressed, we have to go out again” as soon as I finished my shower. *groan* I was not feeling it. But I dragged myself into yet another pair of jeans, and we drove out to Pasadena to spend an hour with his best friend and his girlfriend. Then he drove us 40 miles to dinner with his brother and sis-in-law, 50 miles to drop me off, and another 50 miles to go back to his brother’s for the night.
All told, I think we put about 550 miles on that rental car this weekend. Ugh! If THIS is what being together and married life is going to be like, I gotta rethink some things. Back to back to back scheduling is insane! Can a girl get a weekend from the weekend or what?? These old bones just can’t take this kind of abuse anymore. ;P
June 1, 2007
It’s time for Step One of Financial AA: self-inventory!
I know that my cash flow leaves much to be desired. I’ve cut expenses to the bone. Ruthlessly trimmed anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary to keep the family warm/cool, dry, clean and fed. And transported. Even swallowed my pride, a few times, and still doing it to try and reach an understanding with the job so that I can pay my Completely Trimmed bills. So why in heaven’s name have I not reduced my retirement savings?!?!
Well, at first I just plain forgot. You know how you’re supposed to save first? How you’re supposed to have that money come out of your paycheck before you ever see it so you’re not tempted to use it? Dang, but that works!! I saw it when I logged onto Yodlee, and each time the deposits registered. But in my budget?? Nah. Never remembered that sucker. I made the goal, put that on autopilot and seriously locked it out of my mind.
When it finally occurred to me that – really – I needed to change to make this budget work with all the increased household expenses, I still balked. I had some good reasons. But they were emotional. Fear. Worry. Caution. And, Pride.
Fear: What if I never increase the savings to the current contributions again? What if I get used to having instant gratification and start saving like a pansy? What if I lose the ability to work? What if, what if, what if?
Worry: If I stop now, I’ll never save enough for retirement! I can’t ask my kids to do for me what I’m doing for my parents! And if I don’t have kids? Then I’ll definitely be up a creek!
Caution: Aren’t I supposed to be contributing as much as possible now to maximize the amount of time my money has to grow? Is reducing the contribution REALLY the best or only resort I’ve got left? Won’t that mean losing [insert outrageous sum here] worth of compound interest?
And my good friend, Pride: I really really really want to hit 10K in my 403(b) this year. In January, I set the goal. If I give up now, that’s what we call “failure” because I failed to meet my goal. And I really want to see it reach that “magic” number before I feel like my efforts weren’t half-arsed.
Yep. My own independence is kicking me around the block. How’s that for irony?
I’m not going to give up retirement investing entirely because there’s no way I’d forgo a 2-to-1 match, but my 403(b) is not me. I am not my 403(b). If it’s a little smaller right now, that’s ok. There are other obligations ogling my cold harsh cash, and if the office can cough up a (little) extra money to help me out, I can give myself a raise, too.
